


Back To Save You

by DivineVarod



Category: Red Dwarf
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Guilt, M/M, Mushy, Saving, Time Travel, give and take, red dwarf xi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-03 20:06:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8728387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivineVarod/pseuds/DivineVarod
Summary: - Spoilers for Give and Take! -After the kidney operation Rimmer dotes on Lister, taking to the role of carer completely. Then one day a future version of Lister storms in with a warning for him.





	

After the kidney operation Rimmer immediately doted on Lister in a way that had even stunned Kryten. The devoted Hologram couldn't bare to be parted from “his” Lister for more than a few minutes and took great joy in being the carer for a change. Fussing around Lister, making certain he had enough rest, had the snacks he liked and watching him like a hawk to make sure he would not consume any alcohol, except for the lager he had meticulously watered-down. Rimmer turned into a fussy homebody who cooked and cleaned and even washed Lister every day. This much to Kryten's chagrin, as he had wanted to be Mr Lister's carer. The Android had no chance and watched on as Rimmer immersed deeper and deeper into caring for his partner, completely shutting out everything and everyone else. Nothing mattered and nothing registered in the Hologram's world except getting the man he loved back to full health. Not even a very important promise he might have made.

* * *

“RIMMER!! ARNOLD!! BABE!!”  
Rimmer jumped in shock hearing Lister behind him in the corridor and turned sharply, to see a flushed faced Lister chasing after him at great speed.  
“Listy!!” He called, worry and annoyance sounding in his voice. “What the smeg are you doing? You're not supposed to be out of bed!”  
Red faced and gasping for air Lister came to a forced stop in front of his partner. Rimmer immediately semi cradled him in his arms to keep him from keeling over.  
“Yes I am,” Lister panted. “don't be scared Arn. I'm Lister from two weeks in the future.”  
  
Rimmer frowned in confusion, but didn't let him go.  
“What? Well, whoever you are, you shouldn't exert yourself like that.”  
Lister released himself from Rimmer's cradle to look at him for just a second too long. Then he quickly pulled himself together.  
“No time for this Arnold. Get Kryten here and keep your promise to that lift before it's too late!”  
An eyebrow raise from the Hologram.  
“Lift? What lift? What promise?”  
Lister looked stunned.  
“The one you promised a promotion so he'd save me. How can you forget a thing like that?”  
Rimmer looked stung and shot his partner a baleful look.  
“I've been looking after you you goit!”  
Lister softened at this. “Smeg, sorry, I know Arnie. But, you see: I came here to warn you that you should keep your promise.”  
  
At this he was met with a snort of laughter and a look of utter disbelieve.  
“I knew you were soft Dave, but this take the biscuit. You're risking yourself just so I keep my promise to some emotionally disturbed machine?”  
A very impatient Lister groaned at that.  
“No you smegger: I came here to warn you! He's getting angry and very soon he'll hurt you!”  
Rimmer shook his head and took Lister by the hand to walk him back to the stasis booths.  
“Listy, I think you need some more rest back in your own timeline. In fact I haven't got time for all of this. You are still very weak in this timeline and I promised you I'd make some curried cheesy biscuits while you sleep.”  
  
To Rimmer's surprise Lister shook of his hand rather harshly to put himself in front of him. The Scouser took him by the shoulders to make him face him. The look he was given took his breath away: in it he saw a deep, dark despair.  
“Do it later, Arnold. You'll burn the first batch anyway. You'll fall asleep because you're exhausted from looking after me day and night. Don't look like that, you think you're good at hiding everything but you're as transparent as smeg. Please, come with me!”  
Rimmer's face had started to fall as he began to feel uneasy.  
“Why are you so insistent?” He asked, fear seeping into his voice. “What's going to happen to me Listy?”  
Lister bit his lip, this was difficult to explain.  
“I think you'll better sit down for this with both of … me.”  
  
Despite Rimmer insisting present Lister wasn't ready for a visit from future Lister Kryten, who'd came to see what the fresh new life sign was, agreed that present Lister should hear what future Lister had to say. All three men went into the bunkroom, after Rimmer had prepared current Lister for the guest from the future. For a second future Lister seemed slightly confused by the sight of a pale faced Rimmer sitting on the edge of his bunk holding hands with his past version. Then future Lister composed himself and proceeded to explain:  
  
“You know how you promised that smeging lift a promotion to Officers First Class Lift if he made sure to ignore past you to get me to safety?” Rimmer nodded, clearly wondering where this was going. “Well, you forget, clearly. And the lift gets demoted for some reason.”  
  
“It does?” Rimmer asked looking astonished, then he smiled in glee. “Serves him right for being a back talking rude little smegger.”  
  
“No tha' isn't good at all, Arn! Because it's gonna hurt you as a revenge!! Snacky has given it some sort of light speed drive thing and soon you're gonna get in to get some new curry from the supplies deck and he's gonna test it on you as revenge.”  
  
Past Lister jolted upright at that, Rimmer gently shushed him.  
“What a goit! Don't worry Listy, I can take it.”  
Seeing Rimmer squeeze the hand of his past version in loving reassurance, future Lister closed his eyes and seemed to swallow back tears.  
“No mate, you can't. Your lightbee can't handle the pressure and you'll go crazy with terror.”  
Rimmer looked up in horror, his eyes bright with fear.  
“I … I do?”  
  
Future Lister shook his head, trying to shake himself away from the hurt of that recent memory.  
  
“As you're never away from me for more than two hours, Kryten gets worried when you're not coming back. He'll find you huddled in the deepest corner of the lift. You're completely apathetic, your projection flickering on and off, sometimes distorting your image. The lift wasn't expecting this, see. He'd been angry, plotting the only revenge he had, but had meant no harm. When Kryten explained you forgot because you were looking after me he totally regrets it.”  
  
Rimmer sat up straight, rubbing the arm of past Lister to keep him calm. Slowly, almost businesslike he looked up at future Lister, asking calmly:  
“What happens to me after?”  
  
The future Scouser seemed overwhelmed and was given a glass of water by Kryten, who had listened on in silence.  
  
“You're in shock and your lightbee is corrupted. Kryen tried rebooting but nothing works. Now, after two weeks there is no change so I saw no other option but this. I came to save you, Arnie. So come on, apologise to the smegging lift and move him up.”  
Rimmer stood up, looking rather angry and started pacing the room.  
  
“Why should I? He tried to kill me!! I'll just avoid him!”  
Lister stood up too, facing Rimmer challengingly.  
“Don't be daft, you'll never know where he's gonna be! You could be attacked wherever you go! He could turn the other lifts against you!”  
Past Lister raised himself to look at both of them.  
“He seems like a clever lad Arn, listen to him!”  
Rimmer was at his bed in a flash to help him down again.  
  
“Just keep calm my love.” Rimmer told present Lister gently as he kissed his cheek. “I'll see what I'll do. Kryten, look after him, I'll talk to future Lister a bit more alone.”  
  
Rimmer frowned as Kryten looked slightly too gleeful at this opportunity. Then he grabbed the other Lister roughly by the arm and propelled him outside the room into another bunkroom.  
  
“What are you doing Arn? I thought we were going to fix that lift!”  
  
Rimmer placed his hands on Lister's shoulders and looked at him, his eyes almost burning into him.

“I … I can't go. It'll take all day. I'm looking after Dave, I don't want to be away from him for less than two hours tops! You know that Listy!!”  
Lister shook him off, confused at what Rimmer was getting at.  
“Yes babe, and I want you to continue to do that!!” Lister insisted. “What is wrong with you Arnold? I've travelled into time to save your smegging life and you're treating me as an inconvenience!!”  
“That's because I don't smegging deserve it!!” Rimmer screamed, his eyes brimming with tears.  
“Wha'?” Lister asked, looking puzzled.  
Rimmer was getting terribly worked up, his body shaking, as he explained.  
“I don't deserve you saving me. Not after I almost had you killed.”  
“What you on about babe?” Lister asked, blinking at him in confusion.  
Holding his shaking body upright by leaning onto the table, Rimmer explained. His voice sounding as if someone had stabbed a dagger in his heart.  
“Why should I be saved properly when I never even noticed you were ill!!"  
Lister snorted:"You found me passed out between empty beer cans. What were you supposed to think?!"  
Rimmer shook his head urgently. "Don't joke. I messed up. I couldn't even save you properly. All I did was throw Kryten in the firing line and blast your kidneys to a pulp? You were ill and I hid, trying to find confidence with Snacky or whatever it's called and left you with Kryten. I just couldn't face what I'd done. Trying to find my inner hero. What a load of smeg. I'm a useless cowardly piece of junk and deserve the punishment. Now out of the way I've got cookies to make.”  
  
Silence  
  
Lister just stared at Rimmer for a while then sucked in air through his teeth while clacking his tongue.  
“Yep … you're right.” He breathed.  
Rimmer's head shot up to face Lister.  
“What?”  
Lister nodded.  
“You are a coward …”  
A fresh pain in Rimmer's eyes.  
“Dave?”  
“Trying to save my life how cowardly can you get?”  
Rimmer understood what he was getting at and shook his head.  
“I almost got you killed …”  
Future Lister put his hand on one of Rimmer's shaking ones that were still holding on to the table for dear life.  
“You thought I was in danger. You tried to save me from a maniac. You were brave, babe. You didn't smegging know about the kidneys, did you?”  
Rimmer was softly hyperventilating, as he looked at Lister again.  
“But I left you …”  
Lister softly moved his hand up Rimmer's arm.  
“You were upset, that's not cowardly! And then you saved me again, remember?”  
That Rimmer clearly couldn't remember at all.  
“Did I?”  
“Boosting Snacky's confidence so he'd build the portal, talking that stinking lift into saving me … Is that what a useless piece of junk would do?”  
Rimmer stepped away from Lister, his head bowed, clearly trying to get to grips with it all.  
“Listy?”  
  
Slowly Lister walked up to Rimmer again, there was so much he wanted to tell this man.  
“I wouldn't be here without you and I'm going crazy without you back there. All you do is sit in a smegging chair floating in and out of existence. I can't talk to you, you can't talk to me. Kryten says that you're in terrible pain according to his readings. It's so bad I considered I … I considered … smeg!”  
Hearing Lister burst into tears behind him Rimmer turned round sharply.  
“Termination?” He asked softly, putting his hand on Lister's shoulder.  
Tears choking his voice Lister could only nod.  
“But your eyes tell me I can't switch you off, because you don't wanna leave me.”  
Rimmer's vision clouded and he swallowed.  
“I … I know you're right. As long as I was conscious and could see you I wouldn't.”  
  
Lister just stared at Rimmer for a few seconds, then he hoarsely said:  
“It's killing me Arnold. It's making me ill.”  
It was as if Rimmer was electrocuted by these words. Clear horror spread on his face.  
“No … no, you've just got a new kidney, if you became ill it could be …”  
Lister knew he had him now.  
“It's making me ill. I can't eat, I can't sleep …”  
Deflated and shivering Rimmer sank onto the bottom bed of the bunk and put his head in his hands.  
“I'm so sorry Listy. I can't believe I've hurt you again. I'm so tired …” He sighed. “I've been feeling nothing but guilty all this time. I can't sleep, I can't eat ... I can barely think."  
Lister's heart felt a pull seeing Rimmer like that. He was also very aware that Rimmer had unwittingly said the same thing he had. They were nothing without each other. Rimmer had not done anything wrong. Quickly he set himself next to the upset man to put his hand on his knee.  
“Don't do this to yourself, babe. I'm not blaming you for anything. You did what you thought was right and no one could have looked after me better than you did. Arnold; you're amazing.”  
Rimmer slowly lifted his head to face Lister with moist eyes, then he gave him a small smile.  
  
“Future Dave …?”  
“Yes, past Arnie?”  
“Could you … please hold me, just for a second … It's been weeks and …”  
For the first time since he'd arrived on the ship future Lister smiled and sat closer to him.  
“Come here,you smeger, it's been even longer for me!!”  
Lister took Rimmer in his arms and gently held him. For a while they sat in silence; Rimmer slowly coming to terms with everything Lister had said, Lister hoping he had done the right thing. His arms full of soft Hologram Lister felt sad that once the timelines restored he wouldn't remember the things Rimmer had told him or this hug. On the other hand he knew Rimmer would never have revealed his feelings like this if he'd know Lister would remember all of it. Thinking of that he came to the conclusion that yes, this was right: Rimmer's peace of mind was restored and that was the main thing.  
Softly he rubbed the back of Rimmer's neck and kissed the top of his head, relishing the feeling of holding him again after such a long time. Rimmer sighed happily and relaxed in his embrace.  
  
“Hey Arn …” Lister whispered after a while.  
An unwilling head lifted up from snuggling deep into his arms to look at him.  
“Yes Listy?”  
“You ready to save yourself yet?”  
Rimmer untangled himself from the embrace to smile up at Lister.  
“I've never been more ready for anything.”  
Lister stood up and reached out his hand to help up the man he would always save.  
“Let's go then.”


End file.
